Paddling the Pacific Northwest with American Queen Steamboat Co

The American Empress Paddlewheeler

By Anne Kalosh.

One day aboard the AMERICAN EMPRESS paddlewheeler began with a bald eagle sighting from my veranda, continued with a forest trek, waterfalls and Washington state wines and wrapped with one of the best meals I’ve eaten on a cruise.

American Empress is a real looker. * Photo: American Queen Steamboat

Seeing the Pacific Northwest by riverboat was a revelation. As a kid, I’d spent summers in Washington and Oregon, but I didn’t appreciate the full majesty of the Columbia River Gorge, the rich history of the river towns or the region’s thriving artisan food culture until I sailed on this vessel that re-entered service in 2014.

Steep cliffs, dramatic rock formations, towering Douglas firs and sweeping waterfalls formed the scenery. We sailed past islands swirling in the morning mist and Indian fishing camps along riverbanks blazing in yellow and purple flowers. Railway bridges swung open to let the American Empress pass. We transited locks and tied up in the heart of towns and cities.

We learned about Indian history, the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We explored top-class museums, sipped great local wines and savored dishes prepared with Pacific Northwest delicacies. On an excursion, I got to ride in some vintage automobiles and would have flown in a vintage airplane past Mount Hood if the cloud cover hadn’t been too low.

The AMERICAN EMPRESS sails along the Snake and Columbia rivers between Clarkston in eastern Washington on the Idaho border and Vancouver, Wash., an underappreciated city just across the river from Portland, Ore. Seven-night cruises operate each way.

Rocking chairs on deck were coveted for scenery watching. * Photo: American Queen Steamboat

The return of a great paddlewheeler

Built in 2003 as EMPRESS OF THE NORTH, it was brought back to life after a five-year layup. It had sailed for Majestic America Line, which ceased operations in 2008.

The current owner, American Queen Steamboat Co., has a record of reviving riverboats. In 2012, it brought back the largest paddlewheel steamboat ever built, the AMERICAN QUEEN, on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

In 2014, the company acquired and put more than $6 million into upgrading the 360-foot AMERICAN EMPRESS as the Pacific Northwest’s largest riverboat. It carries up to 223 passengers.

It’s not a steamboat but is powered by CAT diesel engines, Z-drives and the sternwheel.

The refurbishment brought new furniture, lighting, amenities, galley equipment and an upscale alternative dining venue. The original Russian imperial decor (think “Romanov red”) was toned down.

The Victorian-era charm remains in the flocked wallpaper, ornate ceilings and cut-glass lamps, but there are contemporary boutique hotel touches.

All the accommodations have Clarins toiletries, Keurig espresso makers, high-thread-count linens and fluffy duvets. The pillow chocolates are Godiva.

The show lounge brings the past back. * Photo: American Queen Steamboat

The Pacific Northwest cuisine was a treat

Tasty meals were served in the open-seating Astoria Dining Room where opulent crystal chandeliers grace an elegant space of light green with gold accents.

Breakfast choices ranged from hearty oatmeal to salmon hash and scrumptious home-fried potatoes.

Lunch favorites included Idaho rainbow trout, a pulled pork barbecue sandwich, fried oysters and a grilled vegetable sandwich with homemade parmesan potato chips.

Soups like tomato basil bisque, cream of forest mushroom and Walla Walla onion were outstanding. The homemade marionberry sorbet merited seconds.

No one went hungry on this cruise, breakfasts were wonderfully hearty. * Photo: Anne Kalosh

Each cruise features a wine pairing dinner. On mine, a 2012 Birdie Riesling Columbia Valley was poured with Tillamook cheddar fondue, a 2011 L’Autre Pinot Noir Willamette Valley went with mushroom risotto and a 2011 Kingpin Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain with New York strip steak.

All the meals were memorable, but my favorite was a dinner at the River Grill & Bar, where cascading glass doors are opened in fine weather. I watched Chef Paul Wayland-Smith cook at the open galley, pulling miracles out of his shiny new combi oven. His menu offered hot or cold dungeness crab, smoked salmon with blinis and a crispy pastry purse of local shiitake mushrooms with truffle cream sauce. Entrees were grilled lobster tail, filet mignon, a double lamb chop and British Columbia king salmon topped with Oregon crayfish. Dessert was fresh berry cobler.

The local sourcing extended to the bars. The Paddlewheel Lounge, which overlooks the big red sternwheel, stocks brands like Wild Roots Marionberry Vodka, Portland Potato Vodka, Below Deck Silver Rum and Crater Lake Gin made with Oregon juniper berries.

“We went with a lot of local and a lot of craft spirits. Even our well brands are local,” bartender Patrick Mulvaney said.

The star of the cruise was the river

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area spans 292,500 acres across southern Washington and northern Oregon. It’s a spectacular canyon 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep that cuts through the Cascade Mountain Range.

Gorgeous gorge scenery. * Photo: Anne Kalosh

Destinations were easy to explore since the AMERICAN EXPRESS is trailed by the company’s own deluxe motor coaches. In each port they operated hop-on, hop-off tours, included in the cruise fare, that circled around to destination highlights. Local guides rode the buses.

In The Dalles, for example, the tour stopped at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Museum, the Original Courthouse Museum, The Dalles Visitors Center, Fort Dalles Museum and the Sunshine Mills Winery. This is a pretty town of wooden houses, flowering trees, a bookstore dating to 1864 and a 1929 theater said to have been the first west of the Mississippi to show a “talkie.”

“Lewis and Clark passed right by here. They camped here three days to repair and dry out their goods before heading to the ocean,” said one of the guides, Linda, who works for the Forest Service. She told us we were surrounded by thousands of acres of cherry orchards, apple trees, grapevines and wheat fields.

The boat also offered premium tours, at an extra charge.

In the afternoon during our day at The Dalles, I took one to the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum at Hood River ($59). It was great. There, hangars house 130 antique cars and the airplanes date as far back as 1917. Some of the enthusiastic volunteers who restore these machines took us for spins. I jumped into the rumble seat of a 1931 Model A Ford Roadster, luxuriated in a champagne-colored 1941 Lincoln Continental and a roomy 1948 Chrysler New Yorker, then puttered along in a crank-started 1914 Model T Ford.

The next day the AMERICAN EXPRESS pulled into tiny Stevenson, where I spotted the bald eagle. The hop-on, hop-off tour visited the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center and Bonneville Dam.

“This was a dangerous part of the Columbia with rapids before the dam. Early steamers would stop to restock,” said Rick, the local guide. In the old days, logs were floated down on flumes. Now, Rick said, Stevenson is “an artsy-craftsy community.”

The afternoon’s premium tour ($49) was another high point. We crossed the Bridge of the Gods to Oregon and drove along the river past sheer cliffs; Beacon Rock, with a top that resembles a fedora, and Rooster Rock, shrouded in trees.

Our motor coach climbed into the forest on a steep, winding road, the Historic Columbia River Highway. When the highway system was established in 1926, it was incorporated into U.S. Route 30, stretching all the way to Atlantic City, N.J.

There were spectacular lookouts at Chanticleer Point and Crown Point. Driving through a beautiful forest of moss-covered trees, we passed seven waterfalls in an eight-mile stretch including 620-foot Multnomah, second highest in the United States.

It was a gorgeous tour, and back at the AMERICAN EXPRESS, we were in for another treat: a wine tasting with the generous pours of winemaker Lin Scott of Washington’s Sparkman Cellars.

Wine tasting was one of many cruise highlights. * Photo: Anne Kalosh

Feeling joyful & tipsy on deck

I joined others on deck as we sailed away on a sparkling afternoon. The captain folded the stacks so we could pass beneath the Bridge of the Gods. We got second glimpses of Beacon Rock and Multnomah Falls, and transited Bonneville Lock.

We all went snap-happy — every glance revealed a photo-worthy scene.

Next day it was drizzly in Astoria, where the Columbia empties into the Pacific. Sea lions barked all around. We docked near the Columbia River Maritime Museum, blocks from coffee houses, a brew pub and the opulent Flavel House, a Queen Anne mansion built by the late George Flavel, a bar pilot on the Columbia and Astoria’s wealthiest man. A premium tour took in the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

Our last morning, beautiful views continued as mist rose off the river. A railroad bridge swung open, and we arrived at Vancouver, the end of the trip.

I spent a day after disembarking and was surprised by all there is to explore, from interesting Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to the budding arts scene, parks, bike trails, brew pubs, wineries and fine restaurants.

I enjoyed another day across the river in Portland, where American Empress passengers stay during their included pre-cruise hotel overnight on eastbound sailings. It’s a lively, walkable city, where food trucks sell everything from Kalua Pig Sliders to Smoked Salmon Pot Pie, and the towering Portlandia statue is not to be missed.

FAST FACTS: American Empress Paddlewheeler

The boat: The largest sternwheeler west of the Mississippi, the American Empress Paddlewheeler stretches 360 feet and rises 83 feet from keel to stack. Top speed is 14 knots (16 mph).

Public spaces: The Show Lounge, with live entertainment; a small gift shop; the Paddlewheel Lounge, with a pianist, library corner and four computers. Wi-Fi is free throughout the boat.

Cabins: The American Empress has 111 double occupancy staterooms and suites and one solo occupancy room. All are outside and all but seven have verandas. Most accommodations are 180-square-foot deluxe veranda staterooms. Superior veranda staterooms are 210 to 250 square feet. The eight suites range from 310 to 410 square feet. Two rooms are wheelchair-accessible with roll-in showers. A pair of elevators serve all four passenger decks.

Cost: The nine-day (seven nights on board, one night in a hotel) program between Vancouver and Clarkston, Wash. (departures both ways) is priced starting at $2,649 per person, double occupancy, including hop-on, hop-off excursions and wine and beer with lunch and dinner. Port charges are $149 extra. Gratuities of $16.50 per day are added to accounts.

Port calls: The same ports, eastbound and westbound, are Astoria, Ore., at the mouth of the Columbia; Stevenson, Wash., at the heart of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area; The Dalles, Ore., the end of the Oregon Trail; and Richland, Wash., near the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers. Daily hop-on, hop-off tours are included, with a selection of extra-cost premium tours.

Entertainment: A daily “river chat” with the Riverlorian, arts and crafts, trivia, lectures, wine tastings, close-up parlor magic and tours of the pilot house. In the evenings a quartet plays dance music in the Show Lounge and there are performances by comedians, guest singers or instrumentalists (folk, bluegrass, country, cowboy, swing). A pianist/vocalist entertains in the Paddlewheel Lounge.

Season: American Empress sails from mid March through November.

Click here for more information on American Queen Steamboat Company.

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